Ex-hostage Eli Sharabi met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Friday. Sharabi shared with Starmer the horrific conditions he endured during his 491 days in Hamas captivity, where he was beaten and starved, telling him, "I never lost hope of coming home."
Sharabi, who was joined by his brother Sharon, said, "We explained the urgency and pressure to save lives. Time is running out."
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United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and ex-hostage Eli Sharabi
(Photo: Number 10. flikr)
During the meeting, Starmer expressed his deep sorrow over the deaths of Sharabi's wife, Lianne, and daughters, Noiya, Yahel, in the October 7 massacre. He also expressed condolences for the death of Sharabi's brother, Yossi, who was killed in captivity in Gaza. Sharabi thanked Starmer for working with Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for over a year to secure his release and asked him to "continue doing everything in his power to ensure that all 59 remaining hostages are freed, both the living and the deceased."
The British prime minister told Sharabi that he had read his testimony and added, "It moved me deeply, it was incredibly powerful." He continued, "The word 'inhumane' is used too often, but your experience justifies that word. We will do everything we can to secure the release of the hostages. We will double our efforts—this is our number one priority."
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Sharabi presented Starmer with a framed cartoon by Peter Brooks, the same one he gave to Trump, depicting Sharabi, Or Levi, and Ohad Ben Ami emerging from captivity looking emaciated and weak. The cartoon compared them to Holocaust survivors, with the caption: "never again."
On Wednesday, Sharabi met with Trump, alongside other former captives. During the meeting, the hostages presented Trump with a gold plaque inscribed with the saying, "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire."
Sharabi shared his story with Trump: "I was abducted on October 7. My wife and two daughters were murdered that day. They held me captive for 491 days, during which I suffered from hunger, cruelty, and daily humiliation. Once, they broke my ribs, and the pain was so intense that I struggled to breathe for a month. Thanks to President Trump, I am a free man. I can hug my mother again, my brother, and my sisters."